The Founders Society Annual Dinner

Alumni, parents, and friends who made leadership gifts to The 1850 Fund attended The Founders Society Annual Dinner on April 22. Head of School Peter Becker welcomed guests, who gathered under a tent on the grounds of Conroy House, where he lives with his wife, Amy Julia, and their family.

“Tonight is special for many reasons,” Becker said. “It’s our first Founders Society dinner in Washington, Connecticut, since our inaugural dinner in 2016. This event is being held on the eve of our opening celebration of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center; and we are celebrating you — our most loyal and generous annual fund donors. But, also, tonight is our first Founders Society dinner at The Frederick Gunn School.”

“We are well on our way to realizing the ambitious vision for the future of The Frederick Gunn School that we laid out in our relaunch. And our momentum is only building. So much of this momentum is because of you,” Becker said. “Thank you for investing in The Frederick Gunn School community.”

The Founders Society recognizes all alumni and parent leadership donors annually giving $1,850 or above to The 1850 Fund. Young alumni who graduated in the last 15 years qualify for membership in The Founders Society with a minimum annual gift of $925. Donors to The Founders Society ensure that The Frederick Gunn School has the critical resources to boldly fulfill its mission.

Board Chair Patrick Dorton ’86 expressed his gratitude for the many ways that Founders Society donors make a profound impact on The Frederick Gunn School community. Founders Society members donated $1,496,438 in fiscal year 2022, comprising 88% of the overall total of the 1850 Fund.

Guests also heard from Grace Noh ’22 and Tori Nichele ’22, Co-Presidents of Gunn Society, who offered personal testimonials about how they have benefited from the financial support of donors like our Founders Society members. In his closing remarks, Neil Townsend P’18 ’20, Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Development Committee, thanked donors for making The Frederick Gunn School an annual philanthropic priority.

We are well on our way to realizing the ambitious vision for the future of The Frederick Gunn School that we laid out in our relaunch. And our momentum is only building. So much of this momentum is because of you.”

Alumni Return Home in Record Numbers to Celebrate Past, Present, and Future of Gunn

More than 375 alumni and friends returned to campus June 10-12 to celebrate Alumni Weekend.

This year’s event welcomed alumni from classes ending in 0s, 1s, 2s, 5s, 6s, and 7s to celebrate milestone reunions. Alumni traveled from as far as Paris, Seattle, Charlotte, and Minneapolis, and some from just down the street in Washington. More than 25 members of the Class of 1987 turned out to celebrate their 35th Reunion. Their enthusiasm was closely rivaled by about 20 alumni from the Class of 1982, celebrating their 40th Reunion, and 18 from the Class of 2002, celebrating their 20th! Many returned to a campus that has been transformed since their last visit and enjoyed touring the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center (TPACC) for the first time.

The Red and Gray Soiree and Lights of Gunn

The weekend offered opportunities to celebrate the past, present, and future of Gunn, including the annual Alumni Golf Outing at Washington Golf Course, an open house in TPACC, and the Red and Gray Soiree on June 10. Alumni mingled on the Solley Dining Hall terrace and spilled onto the Koven-Jones Glade during the cocktail reception, featuring a beer tasting with selections from Reverie Brewing Company, hosted by Reverie’s Managing Member and Co-Founder, Ryan Broderick ’05, and enjoyed dinner from the Big Green Pizza Truck and El Camion Taco Truck.

Earlier in the day, alumni from the Class of 1957 gathered in Tisch Family Library to reminisce over yearbooks, and meet with Librarian and School Archivist Moira Conlan P’26, and Gunn Scholar Robin Wright ’22. The day’s festivities concluded with the Lights of Gunn, which featured the lighting of luminarias in honor of Gunn classmates, friends, family members, teachers, and coaches.

Alumni Association Annual Meeting

On Saturday, the annual Parade of Alumni, led by three bagpipers from Litchfield Hills Pipe Band, stepped off from Tisch Schoolhouse and ended at TPACC, where the Annual Alumni Association Meeting was held for the second consecutive year. Alumni paused to remember those who are no longer with us and celebrate their lives. Class Representatives stood to read the names of all alumni from classes ending in 0, 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7 who had passed away since the last reunion of their class. The meeting also provided an opportunity for the community to pay tribute to Trustee Emeritus David N. Hoadley ’51, who passed away January 14, 2022.

The meeting concluded with the alumni pinning ceremony. Any alumnus or alumna who had not previously received an alumni pin was invited to do so. “The pin can only be worn by an alumnus. And like the numbers after your name, the pin is earned. Additionally, the pin must be placed on you for the first time by a fellow alumnus. The ceremony of being pinned by another graduate links you not only to the pinner, but to the person who pinned them, and so on. It’s the continuation of a chain that stretches back as far as our oldest living alumni, and should always serve as a reminder of the bond we share as Highlander Faithful,” said Chief Development Officer Sean Brown P’22.

The Gunn Gala Campus was a flurry of activity throughout Saturday afternoon and evening, with Gunn Detective Sleuthing in the Paula and George Krimsky ’60 Archives and Special Collections, the annual Alumni Row from Beebe Boathouse on Lake Waramaug, Belmont Stakes viewing, and the Gunn Gala, a semi-formal dinner with dancing under the tent on Edward Wersebe Memorial Field. On Sunday, alumni joined Marlon Fisher ’01, Associate Director of Next Generation Leadership, and Dan Fladager, Director of Outdoor Programs, for a hike at Steep Rock.

It was awesome to see so many generations of alumni, current and former faculty, and faculty and alumni children on campus, and the beautiful weather held throughout the weekend for alumni to celebrate, reminisce, reconnect, and just enjoy being back home together.

THE 1850 Fund awards

Chief Development Officer Sean Brown ’22 announced the preliminary winners of the 1850 Fund Awards Annual Alumni Association Meeting. The final results were tallied and shared following the close of the fiscal year on June 30. In all, 1,236 alumni, parents, students, grandparents, faculty and friends contributed $1,703,057 to the annual fund, exceeding this year’s goal of $1.7 million, and the results of the previous record-setting year — thank you!

FY 2021-22 ANNUAL FUND AWARDS

1956

Kenneth J. Browne Class of 1911 Award

Presented to the class with the largest class gift

1957 & 1959

Margaret P. Addicks H’02 Award

Presented to the class with the highest class participation with a minimum alumni body of 20

2014

Susan S. Graham H’12 Award

Presented to the young alumni class, up to 10 years out, with the highest participation

2012

W. Russ Elgin Award

Presented to the young alumni class, up to 10 years out, with the largest class gift

David N. Hoadley ’51 alumnus of the Year

The David N. Hoadley ’51 Alumnus of the Year Award for 2022 was presented to Trustee Peter Houldin ’92 in recognition of his years of service to the school, including a decade on the Board.

“Peter has served the school in numerous capacities since graduating in 1992. He was a Class Agent and member of the Gunnery Council before joining the Board of Trustees in 2012. As a Trustee, he was the first Chair of the Governance Committee and, most recently, led the Long-Term Campus Planning & Stewardship Committee. He’s been an invaluable counselor to the Senior Leadership Team members and a dedicated alumni advocate,” said Chief Development Officer Sean Brown P’22, who noted that Peter also served on the Alumni & Development Committee and the Finance Committee during his tenure, and has significant family connections to Gunn. “Peter is one of 10 members of the Houldin/ Cornell family to attend the school.”

The alumnus of the year award is given annually to the person who, in the opinion of the Alumni and Development Office, has contributed most significantly to the school through his or her volunteer efforts, and who, in those efforts, has represented The Frederick Gunn School to the highest standards. Past recipients of this award include Trustee Emeritus Leo Bretter ’52, Chris Healy ’76, Trustee Jon Linen ’62, Andrew Sacks ’86, Nick Molar ’72, Sarah Scheel Cook ’82, Frank Macary ’77 P’03 ’05 ’07 ’15, Trustee Tom King ’60 and Tim Gaillard ’61.

2022 Hall Of Fame Inductees

Three alumni were inducted into the Hall of Fame this year: Jerry LeVasseur ’56 was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame, and Stu Levitan ’71 and Tom Braman ’57 were inducted into the Arts & Letters Hall of Fame. Congratulations to this year’s honorees.

Gerald B. LeVasseur ’56

At just six years old, Jerry LeVasseur’s life changed forever as a result of the devastating Hartford Circus fire in 1944. He was left with severe burns and scarring, especially on his hands. From then on, Jerry was inspired to take on the challenge of accomplishing anything people thought would be impossible.

Jerry arrived at The Gunnery in 1952 and immediately became a well-loved and respected member of the community. Graham Anderson, the Assistant Headmaster at the time, expressed that he “could think of no steadier or more reliable boy in the school.” Jerry continued to thrive in the community, joining Dramatics, Camera Club, and Yearbook, but where he especially found motivation was in athletics. He was the captain of the third football team, a member of the basketball team, and earned a varsity letter for his participation in the tennis program.

After graduating, Jerry matriculated at Lehigh University, where he excelled at accounting, and returned to Connecticut to become a certified public accountant. While managing a very successful career, Jerry continued to keep active, and began sled dog racing, raising and training his own teams for three decades. Additionally, he picked up running, and dove into the competitive running scene.

In his retirement, Jerry became a volunteer coach for the steeplechase and triple jump at Bowdoin College. Despite the late start into competitive running, Jerry has accumulated many accolades. He has over 1,000 first-place finishes, ran in nine marathons, competed in 12 National Senior Games, carried the Olympic Torch in Salt Lake City in 2002, and has held the USA Track and Field world record for the 70 to 79 and 80 to 89 age divisions in the 4x800 relay. Additionally, he has been inducted into multiple Halls of Fame: Maine Running, New England 65 Plus Runners, Maine Senior Games, and Bowdoin Volunteer Coaches.

Stuart D. Levitan ’71

Stu Levitan grew up in Long Island, New York, and arrived at The Gunnery in 1969, after completing his first two years at North Shore Senior High School. Stu’s experience at the school can only be described as transformational — he learned to harness his emotions and utilize them in creating literary, visual, and performing arts. He dove into all aspects of art and language, taking Russian, French, Newspaper, and Drama classes, even completing an independent study project his senior year, where he created his own film.

After The Gunnery, Stu matriculated at the New College of Florida. In 1975, Stu found himself in Madison, Wisconsin, where his literary and civic career blossomed. He began working at the Capital Times, eventually transitioning to the Madison Press Connection. From there, he attended the University of Wisconsin Law School and joined the Wisconsin Employee Relations Commission as a staff attorney, where he worked for 28 years.

Outside of his career as an attorney, Stu was heavily involved in local government. He served on the Civic Center Commission, the Madison Zoning Board of Appeals, the Madison Plan Commission, the Community Development Authority, and the Madison Landmarks Commission, among other boards and committees. He also ran for Secretary of State in 1990 and for State Senate in 1996.

Stu’s love of Madison and its history was also the inspiration for the books he authored: Madison: The Illustrated Sesquicentennial History, Volume 1: 1856-1931 (2006) and Madison in the Sixties (2018). He received two first-place recognitions for “Best Writing For Audio” in three years in the statewide journalism competition run by the Milwaukee Press Club for his weekly feature on WORT 89.9 FM, adopted from his second book. In addition to his weekly feature, he also serves as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the community radio station WORT-FM.

Thomas C. Braman ’57

Tom Braman arrived at The Frederick Gunn School in 1956, leaving his former high school in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, where he grew up. He is the great, great-grandson of founder Frederick W. Gunn, and represents one of six generations of extended family that have attended the school. During his time at the school, Tom earned varsity letters for football and basketball (and was named team captain), participated in the History and Current Affairs clubs, and earned the Excellence in Biology and Most Improved Scholar awards.

Upon graduation, he attended Princeton University, and then stepped back briefly from academics, leaving Princeton and working as a surveyor until matriculating at Franklin & Marshall College in 1959. From there, Tom earned his master’s degree in Latin American studies in 1964, and his Ph.D. in Latin American history in 1975 from the University of Florida. His dissertation was titled, “Land and Society in Santiago de Chile 1540-1575.”

Upon the completion of his studies, Tom began a career spanning more than 40 years in analysis and operations at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). His work brought him to over 50 countries, including Transylvania, Macedonia, Sri Lanka, Russia, and many more. He is one of the few CIA officers to have served in both Iran and Iraq. Despite stepping back from the Agency after the events of 9/11, he returned and served overseas as a trainer, analysis instructor, and military liaison officer. Additionally, he served as Operations Center Chief on the President’s Daily Brief staff, as well as a general White House Staffer. In his retirement, he has also served on the University of Florida’s International Center’s Board and assisted with interviewing applicants for the Boren Scholarship as a part of the University’s Honors Program.